This probably won't be the mark of the Beast

[seanD]

Follow-up prediction Part 2:

The debate is over. Unless you've been under a rock, we know covid digital passports are a thing now and without question will be implemented in society in the near future. Some countries have already implemented it, some countries are in the process of designing it and will eventually implement it immediately and abruptly, while other countries, like the US (for obvious legal reasons), will likely go about it at a much more gradual pace after serious and heated national debate. Only exception to the latter is if we have another fierce wave pandemic that "unexpectedly" disrupts our society again (not totally ruling that out).

Here's my next prediction to where this will all lead.

In the US, I think it will first be implemented by the travel and airline companies (who got massive government funds -- keep that in mind), then, aside from "unexpected" and unmitigating circumstances, it will gradually progress over time as other businesses adopt the technology. Biden and his admin will publicly feign like they're steering clear from it for obvious reasons (while collaborating with industries behind the scenes).

It will be more than just a card, because these are already being issued and, as expected, there's a forgery black market. It will probably be a phone app at first, and here is where the inevitable issues pop up. First of all, not everyone has a phone, obviously. Secondly, even with a phone there are endless issues -- i.e. phone gets stolen, lost, they forget it at home, battery goes dead, phone sharing between relatives or friends, etc. There will also undoubtedly be a black market for hacks you can download that will give fraudulent data. This is where it will start to get creepy. Once the public is acclimated, the solution to these numerous issues will end up with the only inevitable solution -- something more personal and invasive that will lead to...

Either an RFID chip or some other biometric technology that can be embedded into the skin, unseen. I tend to lean towards the latter because RFID technology is old tech and sort of outdated; I think they have far more advanced methods for this. This solves all problems previously mentioned.

Assuming this is where it eventually leads, and I firmly believe it will so this is officially my second prediction -- the question is: will this be the Beast system? This time you can disregard the title of the thread because I honestly can't give an answer. At the very least, this will be an extreme move in that direction. I will say that if the third temple in Israel is being built or built by the time this comes to fruition -- look out.

Theoretical scenario.

I left this for last because this is more of an aside of how this may all play out that I'm less sure of than everything else I've just described above, which would go something like this: There will be another lockdown and slew of mandate restrictions (this time initiated federally) as a result of a national covid surge. This will allow the process I described above to move much faster. Businesses are barely surviving as it is, but this will be the ultimate culling, leaving a significantly smaller field of surviving companies. The companies that are left will get incentives from government (i.e. bail-out money) if they adopt the passport technology (in the name of "public safety and health" of course).

This way, rather than government forcing this process directly, they can steer it indirectly with subtle coercion. Any business is free to ignore the technology, but won't get government funds if they do. If lockdowns are severe enough, the businesses that don't take the funds will just go bankrupt (or there may be a weird type of two-tier socioeconomic system that will be divided across partisan lines in different counties and states?).

Nonetheless, whether this moves fast or slow, eventually we'll be left with a crony corporatism/technocratic environment where you must show your digital code to move freely throughout society; all the while government publicly asserting it has nothing to do with it (maybe even feigning a bit of fake verbal opposition and outrage against it). Even though I'm not as sure it play out exactly like this, this just seems like the smartest way for government to go about this implementation (and I'm thinking devil's advocate here; obviously I'm not endorsing this).

Just so you know, lest anyone is under the false impression that my prediction was wrong, the push for global digital vaccine passports isn't over...

Vaccine Passports: World’s 20 Biggest Economies Give Go-Ahead

The G20 meeting–where the world’s biggest economies meet to make decisions–took place Tuesday, and members decided to throw their weight behind vaccination passports, as a means of boosting the global travel and tourism economy.

Taking place remotely from Rome, and headed by the current G20 president, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Bloomberg reported that tourism ministers gave their backing of the use of vaccine passports, deeming them crucial to global economic recovery, according to Italian Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia.

They are advocating the use of the EU’s Digital Green Certificate as a base to coordinate worldwide initiatives–France began trialing its version in April, where travelers will download vaccination certificates and negative Covid-19 test results into a mobile phone application. It is not yet clear how the passport process will work for visitors from third-party countries.

My timing was wrong, but I wasn't wrong. The push was just inexplicably delayed. The reason it was delayed is not really important (maybe something to do with the midterms?), though it is a puzzle as to why, but what's important is that this push is going to continue.

As I suspect there's going to be more pandemic crisis in 2023 to enforce it. Whether it's covid or some other pathogen I'm not entirely sure, though I suspect it will be covid, only a much more potent variant of it.

[seanD]

Just so you know, lest anyone is under the false impression that my prediction was wrong, the push for global digital vaccine passports isn't over...

Vaccine Passports: World’s 20 Biggest Economies Give Go-Ahead



My timing was wrong, but I wasn't wrong. The push was just inexplicably delayed. The reason it was delayed is not really important (maybe something to do with the midterms?), though it is a puzzle as to why, but what's important is that this push is going to continue.

As I suspect there's going to be more pandemic crisis in 2023 to enforce it. Whether it's covid or some other pathogen I'm not entirely sure, though I suspect it will be covid, only a much more potent variant of it.

My bad. Here's the updated '22 article...

G20 Promotes WHO-Standardized Global Vaccine Passport and ‘Digital Health’ Identity Scheme

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) have issued a joint declaration promoting a global standard on proof of vaccination for international travel and calling for the establishment of “global digital health networks” that build on existing digital COVID-19 vaccine passport schemes.

The joint statement followed the conclusion of the G20 summit held in Bali, Indonesia, where leaders discussed global challenges and coordinating policies in response, including to future pandemics.

“We acknowledge the importance of shared technical standards and verification methods, under the framework of the IHR (2005), to facilitate seamless international travel, interoperability, and recognizing digital solutions and non-digital solutions, including proof of vaccinations,” the G20 joint declaration reads.

The International Health Regulations (2005) is an instrument of international law developed under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) that lays down a global framework for responding to the international spread of disease.

The WHO-backed standard, which entered into force in 2007, required countries to strengthen surveillance capacities at border crossings and introduced a series of health documents, including international certificates of vaccination.

Besides acknowledging the utility of the IHR framework, the G20 leaders said they support ongoing “international dialogue and collaboration on the establishment of trusted global digital health networks as part of the efforts to strengthen prevention and response to future pandemics.”

They added that these global digital health networks should “capitalize and build on the success of the existing standards and digital COVID-19 certificates.”

Interesting how this is getting practically NO media attention, though I guess I'm not surprised.

So they seem to be moving away from lockdowns (so I was wrong about the last part of my prediction I stated I wasn't sure of), which only underscores how much more forceful they'll be in their push for the passport. IOW, they're clearly shifting away from collective lockdown to individual lockdown.

[seanD]

Global digital health pass update...

The European Commission and WHO launch landmark digital health initiative to strengthen global health security

(bold emphasis mine)

The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Commission have announced today the launch of a landmark digital health partnership.

In June 2023, WHO will take up the European Union (EU) system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help facilitate global mobility and protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics. This is the first building block of the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) that will develop a wide range of digital products to deliver better health for all.

“Building on the EU’s highly successful digital certification network, WHO aims to offer all WHO Member States access to an open-source digital health tool, which is based on the principles of equity, innovation, transparency and data protection and privacy,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “New digital health products in development aim to help people everywhere receive quality health services quickly and more effectively”.

Based on the EU Global Health Strategy and WHO Global strategy on digital health, the initiative follows the 30 November 2022 agreement between Commissioner Kyriakides and Dr Tedros to enhance strategic cooperation on global health issues. This further bolsters a robust multilateral system with WHO at its core, powered by a strong EU.

“This partnership is an important step for the digital action plan of the EU Global Health Strategy. By using European best practices we contribute to digital health standards and interoperability globally—to the benefit of those most in need. It is also a powerful example of how alignment between the EU and the WHO can deliver better health for all, in the EU and across the world. As the directing and coordinating authority on international health work, there is no better partner than the WHO to advance the work we started at the EU and further develop global digital health solutions,” said Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.

This partnership will include close collaboration in the development, management and implementation of the WHO GDHCN system, benefitting from the European Commission’s ample technical expertise in the field. A first step is to ensure that the current EU digital certificates continue to function effectively.

“With 80 countries and territories connected to the EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate, the EU has set a global standard. The EU certificate has not only been an important tool in our fight against the pandemic, but has also facilitated international travel and tourism. I am pleased that the WHO will build on the privacy-preserving principles and cutting-edge technology of the EU certificate to create a global tool against future pandemics,” added Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market.

A global WHO system building on EU legacy


One of the key elements in the European Union’s work against the COVID-19 pandemic has been digital COVID-19 certificates. To facilitate free movement within its borders, the EU swiftly established interoperable COVID-19 certificates (entitled ‘EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate’ or ‘EU DCC’). Based on open-source technologies and standards it allowed also for the connection of non-EU countries that issue certificates according to EU DCC specifications, becoming the most widely used solution around the world.

From the onset of the pandemic, WHO engaged with all WHO Regions to define overall guidelines for such certificates. To help strengthen global health preparedness in the face of growing health threats, WHO is establishing a global digital health certification network which builds upon the solid foundations of the EU DCC framework, principles and open technologies. With this collaboration, WHO will facilitate this process globally under its own structure with the aim to allow the world to benefit from convergence of digital certificates. This includes standard-setting and validation of digital signatures to prevent fraud. In doing so, WHO will not have access to any underlying personal data, which would continue to be the exclusive domain of governments.

The first building block of the global WHO system becomes operational in June 2023 and aims to be progressively developed in the coming months.

A long-term digital partnership to deliver better health for all


To facilitate the uptake of the EU DCC by WHO and contribute to its operation and further development, WHO and the European Commission have agreed to partner in digital health.

This partnership will work to technically develop the WHO system with a staged approach to cover additional use cases, which may include, for example, the digitisation of the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. Expanding such digital solutions will be essential to deliver better health for citizens across the globe.

This cooperation is based on the shared values and principles of transparency and openness, inclusiveness, accountability, data protection and privacy, security, scalability at a global level, and equity. The WHO and the European Commission will work together to encourage maximum global uptake and participation. Particular attention will be paid to equitable opportunities for the participation by those most in need: low and middle-income countries.

It seems this global move is also coinciding with central bank digital currencies either being implemented or in the testing phase, as well as digital ID systems that are being bandied about. I'm guessing at some point all these global digital networks -- health, currency, ID -- will converge into a all-in-one type of system. When that happens is unknown, but things are moving pretty rapidly that I'd guessing sometime around or before 2030, depending on what sort of global crisis coming next they can use to implement it all faster.

I also suspect that at some point they'll implement some sort of ID registration you'll have to use to access the internet, sort of like a log-in type of system that will verify who you are and track all your internet activity, which will be justified as stopping terrorism, bullying, child porn, hacking, etc (but we know it will ultimately be used to censor speech and political views).

[Leonhard]

I'm front running this before it happens because the situation seems pretty inevitable to me. This isn't any sort of prophecy or anything, I'm just using common sense, so I could always be wrong about the outcome.

Judging by the reaction of the entire world to this current virus situation, and looking at how intrusive world governments have become to combat this situation (the severity of the virus itself is a moot point here -- the reaction is treating it as the end of the world), it's practically GUARANTEED that once a vaccine comes out, governments around the world are going to implement some sort of digital verification system that you've been immunized.

And this verification system will likely be stored in a global database. The verification will be digital and will probably be an ap on your phone, some sort of ID card, or -- dare I say -- perhaps even a digital chip implant. It makes perfect sense, and here's why.

Life can return to normal. Folks will be able to travel again, ride public transit, take flights, cross borders, go to concerts and sporting events without fear of spreading a virus. Though I have no doubt the masses will rush to get the vaccine by the millions once it's released, there are undoubtedly those that for whatever reason (whether religious or some other reason) will refuse to get it.

I imagine huge political discussions and debates about this inevitable dilemma will occur -- whether it's legal or not to force folks to get it, and what legally can be done to enforce it.

Folks that don't have verification will at first be very inconvenienced and shut out of society for the most part, and at first will be subjected to ridicule. But then they'll eventually been seen as a public health threat to the rest of the masses, maybe even dubbed a terrorist. It will almost be impossible not to get the vaccine and verification because you won't be able to function in society without it, and it might even pose grave danger of physical attack.

I'm sure "Mark of the Beast" will be brought up in the discussions, if for no other reason, just as something to be ridiculed and scoffed at. In fact, I'm sure there are Christians that are going to freak out about it. However, I DO NOT believe this is going to be the mark of the Beast (even though I believe the timing is a bit alarming), and here's why.

I don't believe the mark of the Beast will be something that tricks us into taking it. When you look at Revelation, it's pretty clear the Beast is worshipped worldwide. Taking the mark undoubtedly is connected to that worship somehow, which is why it's detrimental to your faith and salvation.

In this case, you're just following a government mandate -- like getting a driver's license, SSN, or paying taxes -- with no religious implications or connotations, and has nothing to do with worship, thus I see no reason this will be detrimental to your faith anymore than following any other prior government mandate.

I could be wrong though. Share your thoughts. I'd prefer to hear opinions from futurists, but all opinions are welcome.

I actually helped implement a system for this in Denmark.

Calling it the Mark of the Beast is just hysterical paranoia. There's nothing about a vaccine passport, in any way, whatsoever shape or form that implies you worship evil.

[seanD]

I actually helped implement a system for this in Denmark.

Calling it the Mark of the Beast is just hysterical paranoia. There's nothing about a vaccine passport, in any way, whatsoever shape or form that implies you worship evil.

Between now and 2030, we're going have a global digital system in place that will likely incorporate one or three of these features -- digital global ID, health passport, and digital currency. We don't want to live in a digital prison like that, controlled by centralized governing body, and we must do all we can to resist it, especially if we want to preserve religious freedom as Christians. That's not paranoia; that's just reality. Whether or not this will be the system of the beast or a precursor to it is beside the point.

[Leonhard]

Between now and 2030, we're going have a global digital system in place that will likely incorporate one or three of these features -- digital global ID, health passport, and digital currency. We don't want to live in a digital prison like that, controlled by centralized governing body, and we must do all we can to resist it, especially if we want to preserve religious freedom as Christians. That's not paranoia; that's just reality. Whether or not this will be the system of the beast or a precursor to it is beside the point.

A global ID, yeah right. This is not something the US government would be capable of implementing it doesn't have the institutional competence for that. The US doesn't even have a reliable census of all the people in the US, and you want it to suddenly spearhead something orders of magnitude better than what it have currently. And in a one world system?

The EU will actually be the first with it and its a good thing. Its a digital ID based on two-factor authentication and secure hardware based digital signatures. We implemented it in Denmark, and its called MitID "MyID". Now its actually possible for a website to verify the legal identity of a person if they log in using that ID. It doesn't mean you lose anonymity either and there are strict rules in place for how websites should handle it.

The next thing coming is the EU Wallet which I'm kinda excited about because its based on the danish system, and its the company I work for which has gotten the honor of building it. It will be a Digital ID, which will contain your passport, drivers license, medical and personal information and so forth. All of which will be housed in the individual countries in the EU. If you're danish your data resides in Denmark and is controlled by the danish eID governance, if you're Polish it'll be in Poland and so forth. If someone, anyone, makes a request for personal information from you (a request that will be logged by the way), then a popup will occur on your phone. You'll be granting consent for every, single, transfer and at any moment you can withdraw consent and they must delete. All of these transfers would have a verifiable digital signature that allows anyone to verify that it came from EU Wallet system, and from your consent and doesn't allow anyone to tamper with those requests or fake them.

I'd love it if this system became the template for how to do it on the world stage. Then as a US Citizen and a resident of say Carolina your eID data might reside locally there, or in a US centralized repository, but the US digital signature would still be verifiable to the EU Wallet system and that's all that's required. It doesn't require a world centralized repo, we've figured out that all that really matters is defining chains-of-trust with digital signatures:

Leonhard trusts the EU's digital signature -> The EU trusts the US's digital signature -> The US creates a signature for SeanD -> Leonhard receives a verified something which he can be legally certain is from SeanD.

Anonymity is built into the core of it, privacy is something the EU actually cares about.

The US has a bad track record with respecting privacy. You guys don't even have respect of privacy in your constitution.

[seanD]

A global ID, yeah right. This is not something the US government would be capable of implementing it doesn't have the institutional competence for that. The US doesn't even have a reliable census of all the people in the US, and you want it to suddenly spearhead something orders of magnitude better than what it have currently. And in a one world system?

The EU will actually be the first with it and its a good thing. Its a digital ID based on two-factor authentication and secure hardware based digital signatures. We implemented it in Denmark, and its called MitID "MyID". Now its actually possible for a website to verify the legal identity of a person if they log in using that ID. It doesn't mean you lose anonymity either and there are strict rules in place for how websites should handle it.

The next thing coming is the EU Wallet which I'm kinda excited about because its based on the danish system, and its the company I work for which has gotten the honor of building it. It will be a Digital ID, which will contain your passport, drivers license, medical and personal information and so forth. All of which will be housed in the individual countries in the EU. If you're danish your data resides in Denmark and is controlled by the danish eID governance, if you're Polish it'll be in Poland and so forth. If someone, anyone, makes a request for personal information from you (a request that will be logged by the way), then a popup will occur on your phone. You'll be granting consent for every, single, transfer and at any moment you can withdraw consent and they must delete. All of these transfers would have a verifiable digital signature that allows anyone to verify that it came from EU Wallet system, and from your consent and doesn't allow anyone to tamper with those requests or fake them.

I'd love it if this system became the template for how to do it on the world stage. Then as a US Citizen and a resident of say Carolina your eID data might reside locally there, or in a US centralized repository, but the US digital signature would still be verifiable to the EU Wallet system and that's all that's required. It doesn't require a world centralized repo, we've figured out that all that really matters is defining chains-of-trust with digital signatures:

Leonhard trusts the EU's digital signature -> The EU trusts the US's digital signature -> The US creates a signature for SeanD -> Leonhard receives a verified something which he can be legally certain is from SeanD.

Anonymity is built into the core of it, privacy is something the EU actually cares about.

The US has a bad track record with respecting privacy. You guys don't even have respect of privacy in your constitution.

It will likely be through a global body, which will probably use a third party to implement it. It will either be implemented globally at the outset, though I admit that's a bit more farfetched, or it will be implemented in each country separately, and each country's access will use a type of global hub, or something like that (undoubtedly during or after some crisis event that will justify it). I admittedly am not technologically savvy to know exactly how it will implemented, just that by 2030, this is what we'll see happening. Naturally, and rightly so, there will be a whole lot resistance, though it will eventually be proven futile.

I went out on a limb earlier in this thread and predicted another global pandemic before this year is over. That may or may not happen, and if it doesn't happen, that will probably be the first time I went out on a limb and made a forecast that didn't happen. But I'm 100% confident that by 2030, this digital prison is what we'll see being implemented on a worldwide level.

[seanD]

Things are moving pretty fast.

EU's ready to roll out a digital ID system that apparently will incorporate multiple functions -- including a health record -- that might be ready to implement by 2024, and of course, it's being sold as a tool of "convenience and safety."

EU Digital Identity Wallet Pilots Roll Out Under the Radar

As 2023 continues, the European Commission appears busy developing and running pilots for its EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI), which it intends to make available to all EU citizens in the near future. But while the European Commission (EC) boasts the prospective EUDI’s convenience, security, and wide range of prospective use cases in daily life, what’s less discussed is the tool’s potential for a bevy of ethical and surveillance-related issues.

What is the EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI)?

The EU Digital Wallet, often referred to as the EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI), is slated to be offered to the European public in the years ahead. According to the European Commission, “EU Digital Identity Wallets are personal digital wallets allowing citizens to digitally identify themselves, store and manage identity data and official documents in electronic format. These may include a driving licence, medical prescriptions or education qualifications.”

As legislation streamlining their slated use across Europe is finalized, the European Commission is advancing its efforts to roll out EUDIs amongst the general European public, where over 250 private corporations and public authorities are participating in four large-scale pilot projects. At the time of writing, the EU has invested €46 million into these pilots.

Indeed, a wide range of use cases are already being tested in the EUDI pilot projects. These include using the wallets to access government services, register, and activate SIM cards for mobile network services, sign contracts, facilitate travel, and present educational credentials. All together, these use cases suggest the Digital Identity Wallets’ prospective utilization across a wide range of services essential to daily life.

Convenience, But for Whom?

The European Commission frequently plays up the digital wallet’s convenience, with messaging boasting that users will be able to use the Wallets to check into hotels, file tax returns, rent cars, and securely open bank accounts. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the following in a 2020 State of the Union address, where she proposed the concept of a “secure European e-identity:”

Every time an App or website asks us to create a new digital identity or to easily log on via a big platform, we have no idea what happens to our data in reality. That is why the Commission will propose a secure European e-identity. One that we trust and that any citizen can use anywhere in Europe to do anything from paying your taxes to renting a bicycle. A technology where we can control ourselves what data is used and how.

Btw, anyone still in doubt about the influence of the WEF on such a grand project that will have astronomical global implications, they had put out a digital ID white paper in 2018...

Identity in a Digital World A new chapter in the social contract

For businesses, verifiable identities create new markets and business lines, better customer experiences, improved data and a tool against fraud. For governments, they offer a new way of governing: better delivery of services, a more engaged citizenry and a tool against corruption and crime. For individuals, they open up (or close off) the digital world, with its jobs, political activities, education, financial services, healthcare and more.

[seanD]

While the world (interestingly enough) is laser focused on the events happening in Israel, the push for a global digital infrastructure (prison) just keep chugging along.

What is the "50-in-5" campaign you may ask? It's a development group sponsored by the UN that plans to bring a digital system to multiple countries, and eventually the world. Here's a brief explanation from their website:

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) – which refers to a secure and interoperable network of components that include digital payments, ID, and data exchange systems – is essential for participation in markets and society in a digital era. DPI is needed for all countries to build resilient and innovative economies, and for the well-being of people.

This article gives a more thorough rundown...

UN & Bill Gates Launch “50in5” Global Digital Infrastructure Plans

Last week the United Nations Development Program officially launched their new initiative promoting “Digital Public Infrastructure” (DPI) around the world.

The “50in5” program – so-called because it aims to introduce DPI in fifty countries in the next five years – began with a live-streamed event on November 8th.

For those of you unsure what “Digital Public Infrastructure” is, the 50in5 website is quite clear:

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) – which refers to a secure and interoperable network of components that include digital payments, ID, and data exchange systems.

There’s nothing new there, for anyone who has been paying even the slightest bit of attention. Digital identity and digital payment systems are self-explanatory (and we’ve covered them before). “Data Exchange Systems” essentially means national governments will share identity and financial records of citizens across borders with other nations, or indeed with global government agencies.

The key word is “interoperable”.

As we have written before, the “global government” won’t be one single health care system, identity database, or digital currency – but dozens of notionally separate systems all carefully designed to be fully “interoperable”.

As well as being a project of the UNDP, UNICEF, and the Inter-American Development Bank, the 50in5 is funded by various globalist NGOs and non-profits including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and (indirectly through an NGO called “Co-Develop”) the Rockefeller Foundation.

The eleven counties taking part in the program so far are Bangladesh, Brazil, Estonia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Moldova, Norway, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Togo. A careful spread from every continent, including first, second, and third-world nations.

It is a list noteworthy for including NATO, EU, and BRICS members. Interesting implications on supposed “multipolarity” there.

Personally, I believe at some point all these digital systems in the works are going to converge (maybe through some global hub or something) and it will incorporate an ID, a payment system, and some sort of health pass, among other digital information.